Summary and structure

Vittwia Mickelson, who is 83 years old, tells the story of her life and of how she came to live in Oregon. At the moment of the narration, Vittwia has been living alone for 11 years and supporting herself.

Vittwia’s is born in a wealthy family and spends the first part of her childhood traveling across the US. When she is 4 years old, she sees prairie schooners for the first time and gets an idea of what the Oregon Trail is. When she is in her 20s, Vittwia volunteers as a nurse during the Civil War and witnesses the way in which medicine in practiced in the middle of war. A decade letter, Vittwia and her brother Henry set to travel across the Middle West, a time during which Vittwia works as a traveling correspondent and field editor for one...